Parachute Day Was The Best

Think back to elementary school. Do you remember that one day of the year you’d walk into gym class and instead of the regular racks of balls and the giant tub of smelly pinnies, you’d see an enormous pile of silky fabric in the middle of the gym?

A little jolt of electricity would go through the class as the kids saw and realized what this meant.

Parachute Day.

Remember how everyone would pull the parachute out in a flat circle, and sit around it? How all the kids would grab the edge of the chute and pull it up into the air – the parachute heavy with resistance? Then the gym teacher would tell everyone to step in, flick the parachute up, and it would float effortlessly into the air. Next, everyone quickly sat down while pulling the parachute to the floor. The whole class inside of the parachute, in a circle, under the bubble. Smiles and laughter.

We used to play dodgeball in gym. Some kids would have a great time, and some kids got their noses broken.

Nobody got their nose broken on Parachute Day. Parachute day leveled the playing field and was just a focus on fun.

The world is a competitive place. As a grown-up, it’s not gym class anymore. Nobody’s going to throw a ball at your face and break your nose (I hope). At its best, healthy competition helps us stay motivated to perform our best. It’s a good thing. However, competition equals stress, and even good stress can get exhausting.